Lawmakers kept the focus on hurricane recovery and steered clear of the shore-based casino debate during this week’s special legislative session in Jackson.
Highlights of the meeting included the creation of a $25 million no-interest loan program for small businesses and an extension of the state tax filing deadline. The state government also passed a bill authorizing local governments in the hurricane zone to move from their usual location to keep operating.
“We’ve passed numerous bills, and many of them will allow local governments to be faster and more efficient,” Rep. Gary Chism, R-Lowndes County, said. “We also passed a bill for people who lost their homes and were not covered by flood insurance; they will get a $25,000 grant to start the process of rebuilding their homes.”
However, some of Gov. Haley Barbour’s strongest allies said they will not support his proposal to let Gulf Coast casinos move further inland. The governor talked to the Legislative Conservative Coalition Wednesday to rally support for ensuring the safety of the state’s casino revenues, which bring in an estimated $272 million annually.
The proposal involves moving the coastal casinos 1,500 feet inland and, according to some gambling companies, will better ensure the safety of the structure against storms and future hurricanes. State law says casinos can only be constructed over the waters of either the Gulf of Mexico or the Mississippi River.
Chism said the issue isn’t about political parties this time; it’s a question of morality.
“If you allow them on dry land, 10 years from now they’ll say, ‘Why can’t we have gaming in any county we want?'” Chism said.
Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, disagrees.
“If you want to call it a morality issue, call it one back in 1991 when casinos were authorized [to be built on water],” Holland said. “The type of investment this is going to make in the era of gaming: this is an opportunity to make this disaster into a new opportunity for the state.”
Holland said hurricane-proof buildings can be engineered. “The Beau Rivage is still standing. It was built to withstand 160 mph winds,” Holland said.
“There is no way to engineer a barge against that devastation.”
In his speech before the legislature Tuesday night, Barbour said the state would see much better quality development by the casino companies if they were allowed to come on shore. He also answered speculation about building the behemoth structures on stilts.
“Making the casinos sit over the water on stilts will not stimulate the investment we want. A small adjustment of a few hundred feet … is the best chance … to make our Coast a world-class destination resort,” Barbour said.
The House and Senate have yet to reach a resolution on the issue. Chism compares it to a quick-draw contest.
“We’re in a standoff; eventually, one of us is going to have to blink,” he said.